


Black Coffee and Bad Pickup Lines

by Soph_E_C



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Barista Maui, F/M, Romance, bad pickup lines on coffee cups, flirting and banter and fluff oh my!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-09-22 16:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9616778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soph_E_C/pseuds/Soph_E_C
Summary: Moaui//Hooked Wayfinder Coffee Shop Modern AU---“Black coffee, two sugars for Curly-,” The redhead cut herself off swiftly and turned her sharp gaze onto the man behind the till, hissing venomously under her breath, “Maui, I am NOT reading this out, you creep,”Whilst on a much-needed break from her bad day at work, Moana seeks out some much-needed caffeine. However, she might've found more than she first set out to in the confident, flirtatious barista...





	1. Are you a piece of art?

Moana Waialiki was not having a good day. Her boss was being even more of a dick than normal, her customers were exceptionally meaner today, and a throbbing pain had started to form between her eyebrows. Currently, she was attempting to explain the 40-day, no-stain return policy to a very loud, very angry woman who claimed that she had _NEVER EVEN WORN THE GODDAMN SHIRT_. The ‘goddamn shirt’ in question had (what she sincerely hoped was) a huge coffee stain down the front, spanning from the collar to just below the bust, and had very obviously been worn more than once. 

“I’m sorry, m’am, there’s not really much I can do about-,”

“ _I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER!_ ” 

“Of course,” Moana sighed half-heartedly as her boss fluttered around the customer delicately, leading her off to the side and away from the scene she had created, but not before shooting Moana a sharp glare. Who knew working in retail would be so hard? Moana groaned, her head falling gracelessly into her arms on the counter in front of her. A hand touched her shoulder carefully, and she looked up to meet a tan brunette with kind green eyes.

“You look like you need an early lunch break, Mo,” Fi smiled down at her gently. Moana opened her mouth to protest, but the tall woman beat her to it, “Go,” she laughed, “I’ll cover you. You could do with some caffeine,”  
Moana smiled gratefully as she stood, significantly smaller than the willowy woman by at least a foot, “Thanks, Fi. You’re the best,”

She slipped out of the store quickly, grabbing her bag and coat before walking out onto the busy high street in front of her.

\---

How Moana found herself in the cafe on the corner was beyond her. She supposed Fi’s remark on caffeine had unknowingly drawn her to the small coffee shop. Well, small was sort of an understatement. _Lalotai_ was one of those buildings that looked small on the outside, but opened up into a much larger room. The lights were low, casting a slight shadow over the room and illuminating the deep purple walls ominously. There was music playing; she could pick out the undertones of a glam rock-y bass line, but the crowd was too loud for her to tell what it actually was. Speaking of Lalotai’s customers, every table in the joint was taken and the line stretching from the till to the doors was longer than she had expected for an independent business. Moana busied herself with her phone as she waited. 

The mass was almost suffocating, if not slightly rowdy, but she quickly lost herself in the world of the internet. So lost that she barely even noticed when she got to the front of the line. 

“What can I getcha, kid?” a smooth voice brought her back to the land of the living. 

Moana let out a slightly aggressive “Ex _cuse_ me?!” (She was just _short_ , okay?!), but the words died slightly in the back of her throat as she snapped her eyes away from her phone. Stood, looking slightly out of place but completely at ease, behind the counter was a tall, chiselled _God_ of a man. He had sun kissed skin and dark eyes, one thick eyebrow raised in obvious amusement. A smirk spread across his face slowly, and _no_ , she was _not_ intimidated. His huge hands rested on the counter separating them, black mandatory shirt sleeves rolled up to expose a sea of tattoos scaling his bare arms. 

“What can I get you, you know, to drink? That is what you came here for, right?” He chuckled, and she felt heat rise to her face as her scowl deepened.

“I didn’t- that’s not what I- why would I-,” Moana cut herself off and ground out a, “Black coffee, two sugars,”

“You got it, kiddo- can I get your name?” The barista winked, smirk growing in size. She spluttered slightly, halfway through sliding her money onto the counter, mouth hanging open ready to protest- “Calm it, Curly, it’s for the cup,” He laughed again, and Moana blinked, fully aware that her face probably resembled that of a tomato. She subconsciously pushed her hair out of her face. 

“Oh, uh, Moana,”

“Moa- _what?_ ” 

“ _Moana,_ ”

“Monana?”

“Mo-a- _na!_ ”

“Moa- for gods- forget it,” The man scribbled something onto the side of her cup and passed it to the tall woman behind him, who got to work making her drink. She huffed indignantly and stepped to the side so that he could serve the next in line, painfully conscious to his eyes trained on her as she stood fidgeting.

It felt like an eternity had passed of awkward standing around before the tall woman finally turned around, with Moana’s drink in tow. Moana was slightly taken aback; despite her short red pixie cut, pasty skin (a sharp contrast to the dark, shadowy light) and fiery amber eyes, she bore a strong resemblance to Fi. She shook off the thought, however, when Fi’s doppelganger’s permanent scowl grew as she rolled her yellow eyes and dryly called out, 

“Black coffee, two sugars for _Curly-_ ,” The redhead cut herself off swiftly and turned her sharp gaze onto the man behind the till, hissing venomously under her breath, “Maui, I am _NOT_ reading this out, you creep,”

The barista- Maui (and he thought SHE had a weird name)- smirked, replying without looking up from the register “I’m not creepy, Kate, I’m suave,”

Kate practically growled in response, pushing the cup onto the counter. Moana snatched it up quickly, her eyes growing wide and her cheeks glowing red as she read the message he had scrawled onto her cup;

 _Curly – Are you a piece of art because I’d like to nail you up against a wall_

Moana stood completely still for a whole of five seconds before whirling round, hitting herself in the face with her hair and storming through the crowd as fast as she possibly could, all the while feeling Maui’s burning gaze scorching a hole into the back of her head.

He watched her with a grin as she slammed the door and practically ran down the high street. Kate shot him a pointed look as they swapped positions, her at the register and him working the machines, and he let out a loud laugh.

“One day, you’re gonna get yourself fired,” She shook her head at him. How was he supposed to help himself, though? The girl was stunning, all big brown eyes and thick black lashes, with full lips that made him want to pull her over the counter and kiss her senseless, not to mention that she was a little spitfire with the voice of a freaking goddess- he couldn’t just let this complete stranger walk away and forget him!

“She’ll be back,” Maui hummed under his breath. Kate rolled her eyes again in reply.


	2. It Didn't Mean Anything!

Moana ran down the high street a flustered mess. Before reaching her shop, she ducked into the small alley that ran down the side. She liked to think that, to any onlookers, she was a sophisticated young woman whom was simply late for work and was therefore ‘speed walking’. As she pressed herself up against the wall, however, Moana knew the cold truth; her hair was everywhere, her cheeks were flushed (from the running or the incident in the coffee shop, or maybe both, she wasn’t entirely sure) and- wait, was she sweating?

The hard, uneven brick wall digging into her back seemed to calm her, and Moana slowly exhaled the breath she didn’t know she had been holding. The coffee cup had been pressed up against her chest as she ran, cradled preciously in both hands. Eyeing it cautiously, she took a hesitant sip. _Shit, it was good_. Now she couldn’t use what she hoped would’ve been bad coffee as an excuse to never, EVER step foot in Lalotai again... or was it an excuse for her to return?

Moana shook off that train of thought before it left the metaphorical station. Her lunch break was almost over- she didn’t have time to get all worked up over infuriating baristas and their infuriating smirks. She collected herself before turning into the street, falling into step with the mob of people as if she hadn’t just been wildly hyperventilating in an alley.

Pushing through the set of glass double doors, Moana skirted around any customers and made her way back to the counter under the neon pink PLEASE PAY HERE sign. Fi gave her a smile upon her arrival, and she returned it easily, a comfortable silence washing over them as they worked the cash registers side by side. The rest of the day passed simply enough, but, even as she served countless clients, _he_ was never far from her mind. Her brain was plagued by rolled up sleeves and spiralling tattoos, and sparkling eyes and brash laughs, a smooth overconfident voice swirling around in her head amidst the whirlpool of confusion and annoyance. But the end of her shift came sooner than expected. Moana reached out for her coffee, but the lightness of the cup revealed that there was none left. Frowning slightly, she moved to put it in the bin but-

Something kept her fingers clasped around the cardboard, her arm hovering above the trash awkwardly, unable to let go. Moana sucked in a breath, eyebrows furrowed, because _why did she hesitate_?

“Mo? ...What’re you doing?” Moana snapped her head to her side to see Fi watching her suspiciously. Her forest green eyes flickered between Moana and the cup. Instinctively, she stretched her fingers over the writing, but they were too goddamn short. Her lofty co-worker’s eyes, like a freaking hawk, honed in on her stubby fingers pathetically trying to cover the black scrawl.  Fi made a small inquisitive sound and suddenly made a dart for the cup. Moana squealed, backing up quickly and tripping over a discarded cardboard box. She landed clumsily on her rear- _and ohhhhhh man was that gonna hurt in the morning._ She groaned slightly to herself as Fi triumphantly plucked the cup from her hands and squinted at the sharpie-marker imprinted on the side.

 “Mo... is this.. is this a _pickup line_?” 

Moana sat up quickly, her face burning, “Wha- is that a pickup line?! Hahaaa whaaaat? I- cause I was- I didn’t- it’s not- erm,”

Fi chucked the cup half heartedly back to Moana, folding her arms across her chest and smirking down at her. She seemed all of a sudden so much taller than before, “That looks like a pickup line to me,”

“Well... I- ah- it _might_ be?”

Fi grinned and sat down on the floor in front of her, still managing to make the action look effortlessly graceful as always, “Soooo... who’s the lucky guy?”

“ _Lucky guy_ \- Fi, it’s just a pickup line, we’re not getting _married_ -,”

“Shut up and tell me about him,” she fixed Moana with a knowing look, and cut her off when she opened her mouth to retaliate, “And don’t you tell me it didn’t mean anything, because if it didn’t you wouldn’t have found it so hard to throw it away,”

Moana sighed. “Fine. He was exasperating, I’ve never met someone who I’ve took such an instant dislike to- don’t give me that look, I’m serious. He was annoying as all hell, I mean... he probably just wrote that to irritate me,”

Fi stared at her with an unreadable expression for a few beats, before picking herself up off the floor and patting Moana on the head patronisingly, “Bet you you’re back there within a week,”

“Wha- Fi- it didn’t mean anything!” Moana called after the tall brunette, but she was already on her way out. Speaking of leaving, she should probably think of heading out before the rush hour traffic. She hauled herself off the floor and flung the cup into the trash can in annoyance. She fetched her bag and coat from the back room and strutted towards the doors, but paused as her hand folded around the handle.

 

Moana snatched the cup out of the trash, tucking it into her bag before she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... for my first proper fic, the reaction I've received from this has been amazing, thank you guys so much! Your comments make my week! I'm so glad you've took the time to read my story and enjoy it, so thank you all so much. ALSO, earlier today I saw that Debby-san of tumblr has actually drawn some AMAZING fanart of Barista Maui, and it is seriously the coolest- go check it out, because everything about him is just as I'd imagined, right down to the freaking Lalotai lighting! Just a little filler for the moment, next chapter I PROMISE there WILL be some more Moaui.


	3. Are You My Little Toe?

Moana lasted a whole of four days before she found herself back in Lalotai. She was on her lunch break again and only even thought of coming back for the coffee, nothing else. Hey, it was good coffee! A small part of her was terrified and scarily excited all at the same time to see the barista again, but she silently suffocated that part of her with her arrogance and pride. Besides, there was a chance that he wouldn’t even be working today. The thought settled her giddy stomach.

Lalotai was as busy as she remembered it, maybe even more so. Moana was unsure whether it was just her paranoia, but she swore a few of (who she assumed were) the ‘regulars’ regarded her with a raised eyebrow or a smirk. What they knew that she didn’t, Moana was clueless to. Fifteen torturously long minutes came and left before she got to the front of the queue. She secretly wished it took longer. But there she stood, in front of the counter, bracing herself for impact. To Moana’s dismay, it was the same guy stood behind the counter, but he had his back turned to her and was in the middle of a conversation with his red headed co-worker -were they the only two employees, or was she just unlucky?

“It’s not hopeless, Kate, I know that she’ll- yeah but- I swear to god- you have no...” He cut himself off as he turned to face her, eyes wide, and finished his sentence slowly “...heart,”.

 For a second, his bravado was forgotten, and he just blinked at her, completely and utterly speechless. He gulped visibly, and Moana stared at him incredulously. She wanted to open her mouth, to say something, _anything_ , but the air evaded her lungs and the words caught in her throat. She also became painfully aware of the hushed stillness that had fell over Lalotai, of the eyes trained on the two of them, the bated breath in the crowd’s lungs.

In the end, he was the one to break the silence.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Maui whispered, but his words seemed to echo around the noiseless room. They came out of his mouth before he could stop himself, she realised, as his eyes grew wider and an angry red crept up his neck, onto his face, burning his ears and cheeks and the tip of his nose. _Okay, definitely not what she was expecting him to say?_

“Am I?” Moana said hesitantly, maybe only to fill the quiet. The corners of her mouth turned the slightest bit upwards, a small blush spreading over her features. He caught onto her amusement quickly and breathed out in relief. A huge grin split his face in two and his massive shoulders relaxed as he gazed back at her. Thankfully, the noise in Lalotai slowly rose back to its usual unruly chatter.

“You are,” Maui said quietly. Moana raised an eyebrow as he turned to his co-worker, elbowing her in the ribs.

 “Told ya she’d be back,” He chuckled in disbelief, “Who’s hopeless now?”

Kate rolled her eyes in reply. It only took a few seconds for Moana to connect the dots that the ‘she’ Maui spoke of was herself. Elbows leant on the counter, her chin resting in her hands, she drawled,

“Aaaactually, I only came back for the _coffee_ ,” She felt her lips pull back into a tiny smirk before she could stop herself and- _oh_ _god_ , was she _flirting_?! She caught the gasp before it left her mouth and composed herself, leaning over the counter slightly and directing her gaze away from Maui, “Which was brilliant, by the way,”

 Moana spoke slightly louder than before; to make sure Kate could hear her clearly. She swore she saw the slightest smile on the redhead’s face, even though she had her back to her. Maui pulled a face at that.

“You’re a terrible liar, Princess,”

“Not a princess,” Moana cut in quickly, folding her arms across her chest. Maui looked up at her suddenly and stared at her for a beat, an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes glinted with something like mischief and she felt itchy under his gaze.

“You got any pets?” He finally said, leaning back to stand at his full height, crossing his arms to mirror hers, and she almost forgot to answer. Her eyes lingered on the way his muscles rippled under his black shirt, the tattoos shifting as though they were alive, dancing over his huge arms, and Moana had a sudden urge to- _LETS NOT GO THERE THANKYOUVERYMUCH_

“...yes?” She asked suspiciously, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What was he getting at?

“If you wear a dress and you have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess,” Maui finished triumphantly.

“Okay, first of all, that is the stupidest logic I’ve ever heard,” Moana scowled up at him, then gesturing to her outfit- a red blouse and a white skirt, “And _this_ is a _skirt_ , _not_ a _dress_ ,”

“Same thing,” He batted a huge hand at her, laughing at how aggravated she was. Moana practically snarled in response, and Maui laughed even more, managing an “Anyway, what can I getcha,” through his guffaws.

“Black coffee, two sugars,” She huffed through grit teeth. How stupid of her, to think he wouldn’t ruin that tiny insignificant moment they had shared.

“As you wish,” He smiled rather smugly to himself, finally regaining his composure and plucking a sharpie from behind his ear. Moana’s stomach flipped, but she convinced herself it was because she was nervous that he would write something embarrassing again. The little voice in her head said that, _if truth be told, it’s because you’re scared he won’t_. She stepped to the side of the counter as he threw the cup to Kate, whom caught it swiftly without looking up from the drink she was already making.

Moana waited to the side, feeling slightly less awkward than the first time. She kept catching Maui gazing intently at her out of the corner of her eye. She pretended she couldn’t see him. This carried on for a couple of minutes, until Kate turned to her.

“I think we both know this is yours,” Kate grimaced, the smallest hint of sympathy in her amber eyes. Moana thanked her quietly, taking the cup quickly and skimming her eyes over the message.

_Princess- Are you my little toe, cause I’m inevitably gonna bang you on every piece of furniture I own_

Moana reread it over and over, wracking her brains for something to say. She felt her face grow hot at the mental images that spawned from the line. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, until she realised she very much resembled a goldfish at that point, so she firmly clamped it shut. Finally, she looked up and said (albeit not nearly as aggressive as she wanted it to be),

“Not a princess,”

Maui let out a breathy laugh and waved for her to pass him the cup. She did so, and he carefully scribbled something else before passing it back.

**_Not-A-_ ** _Princess-_

Unsure of how to respond, she nodded awkwardly in mock assertiveness before pushing her way through the crowd.

Moana couldn’t keep the small smile off of her face as she walked hastily out of Lalotai. She couldn’t keep the small smile off of her face as she walked down the high street. She couldn’t keep it off of her face when she rounded the corner to her work, or when Fi gave her a sly knowing look and asked “Why’re you so smiley all of a sudden?”. It lingered for the rest of her shift, and was still there as she drove home, and though she would never admit it, Moana kept the cup again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is here! Hope you all enjoy it, I don't know exactly how I feel about this chapter but I was rushing to get one out, so I'd love to hear what you think about it! Also, I've received ANOTHER fanart inspired by this fic by the amazing Skydrathik of deviantart, go check it out! I love that you guys are enjoying this story enough to actually draw artwork for it, thank you so much :)   
> Late updates may be a thing for a while, for my wifi has decided to be a lil bitch as of late lmao, sorry guys!


	4. To Dance With The Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dancing on the beach can really help to clear your head.

At least four times a week after work (if not more than that), Moana takes the time to visit her grandmother. A twenty minute drive from the town, for most of which was on a dirt road through possibly jungle terrain (thank the gods she drove a _slightly_ beat up truck) towards the coast, lead her to a small, secluded beachfront hut.

Moana pulled up beside her grandmother’s home and quietly got out of her car. She could see her Gramma Tala dancing by the waves, a good fifteen feet away. The older woman turned her head quickly to find her granddaughter walking leisurely towards her and grinned wildly. She turned back to the water, beckoning Moana closer as she continued her dance.

“Hey Gramma,” Moana smiled as she joined her grandmother’s hula.

“Hello, my darling girl. How have you been?”

“Eh, work is okay I guess,” _I’m also kinda-sorta falling increasingly hard for an increasingly beautiful barista who continuously writes increasingly endearing pick up lines on my coffee cups- which I’ve been collecting in my apartment, no big deal._

“Really? No big story?” Tala raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Why’re you acting weird?” Moana laughed awkwardly as her Grandma grinned knowingly.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Wha-I- Gramma! Would I lie to you?” Moana tried (and failed) to keep the discomfort out of her voice, trying (and failing) to focus more on the wide stretch of blue in front of her. The water hugged her ankles, almost like a greeting. Tala shrugged.

“You seem... brighter. Radiant, even. You’re not pregnant, are you?” She joked, elbowing her granddaughter in the ribs. Moana laughed again before the two women fell into a comfortable silence as they danced by the ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey strangers! Long time no see, huh? I know, I know, this chapter is pathetically short, but I just wanted to churn something out quickly for you guys. Sorry about my absence over the last few weeks, today was the last of a period of constant mock exams I've been doing at school, so most of my free time had been taken up by revision. HOWEVER, I hope you liked the tiny exchange we see between Moana and Tala!


	5. You know, if I were you...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BAAAA-AAACKKKKKKKKKK! First up, I am SO. SORRY. It's been a while I know, but my exams are officially over and I don't go on holiday for another two weeks (ish) SO EXPECT REGULAR (ISH) UPDATES! Again, I am sorry if this chapter feels rushed but I wrote this at 3 am this morning and I've been suffering with a bit of writer's block on how to get from here to where I want this story to go (ideas are always welcomed whole heartedly, and any used are always fairly credited). Thank you for everyone who's stuck with me this far, I love all of you so so much X
> 
> ((rated T for language))

Over the next two weeks, Moana’s visits to Lalotai increased to the point where she spent every lunch break there. And _yes_ , it was _just_ for the coffee. At least, that was what she told herself.

So the day that she didn’t show up at her usual time, Maui was definitely confused, if not a little disappointed. Where could she be? What if she was ill, or had been involved in some horrific accident? What if she’d been mugged in the street, or had suddenly been diagnosed with something terrible, incurable, and he’d never ever see her again? What if she had _died?!_...or what if she just... didn’t want to see him? Maui’s head spun as he subconsciously served a young woman. She had wavy black hair that reached just below her shoulders, and wore a light blue vest and khaki shorts.

She looked tired, and he watched as she collected her drink- a large double shot espresso- and slipped into one of the empty booths lining Lalotai’s deep purple walls. She pulled out her phone and browsed lazily, her eyes flicking upwards to the door every now and again.

The sound of the bell on the door ringing pulled Maui’s eyes from the stranger, and his heart skipped a couple beats as a familiar young woman all but fell through the glass door, her hair obscuring her face, frazzled by the wind. She straightened up quickly and fixed her mane, exhaling and casually joining the queue as if the whole cafe hadn’t just watched her practically barrel roll through the door like a maniac.

Maui’s eyes flickered to the clock as she appeared in front of him.

“17 minutes late, Waialiki,” He raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes playfully.

“Aww, thought I wasn’t gonna show up?” Moana smirked, folding her arms across her chest.

Maui chuckled, shaking his head, “The usual?”

She laughed, “Do you even need to ask anymore?”

He moved to grab one of the cardboard cups behind him when Moana interrupted,

“Aaaaactually, I’ll be eating- uh, _drinking_ in today,” There was a slightly evil glint in her eye, Maui noted, as she smiled smugly at him. She had caught him out. Fuck.

“But how will I-,”

“You’ll figure something out,”

Maui huffed, but the sly wink she gave him made it hard to stay irritated. And, besides, if Moana was ‘drinking in’, he could stare at her for much longer than he usually could. Wait, no, that sounded stalkery. He could observe- uh, survey? Glance? He could glance at her every now and then? Yeah, that sounded better.

Now that he had that cleared up, Maui searched the counter hurriedly for something to write on. He wasn’t going to be beaten that easily. His face lit up as his eyes landed on the folded stack of white napkins, and he scribbled something on it in sharpie marker before handing it to Kate along with the order- black coffee, two sugars.

A minute later, a large circular mug on a small square black tray was pushed across the counter towards Moana. She looked up to meet Kate’s eyes, who nodded curtly at the bright smile the smaller woman bore. Their short greetings were getting more familiar, Moana thought, more (dare she say) friendly; at first all she could get out of the tall ginger was a grunt and the slightest moment of eye contact.

Moana’s hands moved to pick up the tray, but she paused when a familiar sharpie marker scrawl caught her attention. She moved the mug slightly so she could read whatever Maui had managed to come up with today.

_Curly- You know, if I were you, I’d be dating me right now._

Moana was slightly taken aback; she was used to overly sexual cheesy lines, not almost-sincere date-y ones. He still managed to add his own egotistical flair, though. Moana smiled. It’d be unlike him to not be so overtly confident.

She met his expectant eyes briefly, smiled, before picking up her tray and sliding it onto the table occupied by the young woman in khaki shorts. Maui watched as the ebony haired girl stood and hugged Moana quickly, the tiredness in her eyes seemingly disappearing. They sat opposite each other, falling into a conversation he couldn’t quite hear over Lalotai’s constant buzz, sipping their drinks casually.

Her eyes met his every now and then, though, and the girl in the khaki shorts turned to catch a quick glance before turning back to Moana excitedly, laughing. He hoped that was good laughter.

He carried on with his shift, just as he normally would, trying to pretend that the girl that occupied most of his mind wasn’t sat a few torturous steps away. The bell on the door rang again for the first time since Moana had made her entrance- it was a particularly slow day for Lalotai, which was not a common (but definitely not unwelcome) situation. The young man completely avoided the counter, however, and made a beeline for the booth that Moana and the khaki shorts girl sat in. Maui’s eyes narrowed as he watched Moana’s eyes light up at the sight of him. He spoke to them briefly, grinning at Moana before looking hopefully at her friend. Khaki Shorts stared up at him for a while, saying something. He deflated slightly and smiled awkwardly, rubbed the back of his neck and left.

The two girls watched him slump down the high street until he had disappeared around a corner. Moana turned back from the windows and slammed her hands down on the table, speaking sternly to her friend. Khaki Shorts said something back, and Mo’s face softened. They talked for a bit before getting up to leave. He moved quickly to take their empty cups, but she met him halfway, holding their rubbish on a tray. Maui smiled before going to take the tray off of her, but her small fingers stayed curled around the plastic edges. They stood in the middle of the coffee shop, grasping a flimsy tray between them, and Maui couldn’t think of a more idealistic situation to find himself in. Khaki Shorts raised an eyebrow, murmuring something about waiting outside. He took a deep breath, and-

“So, about the line earlier- I was wondering... if you’re free tomorrow nigh-,”

“I, uh, I can’t,”

His face fell considerably, and Moana scrambled to better word what she had just said, because his expression softly broke her heart into one million tiny pieces.

“I mean!- I wish I could, but David has been asking Nani out for the past six months, goddamnit, but she turns him down every time because she’s either working or staying home with Lilo and it’s about _goddamn time_ she gave herself a _freaking break_ , so I said I’d babysit, I...” Moana trailed off slowly at the blank look on Maui’s face, “that went completely over your head, huh?”

“The skinny guy from before asked out Khaki Shorts but she works a lot and has to look after... either a dog or a child? So you volunteered to look after it instead,”

“ _She_ , not _it_ , is a child. Her name’s Lilo, and she’s nine. But yeah, that’s pretty much it,” Moana smiled up at him, almost dreamily. She was suddenly aware that somehow they were stood even closer than before; the tray firmly wedged between them being the only thing stopping her from falling into his chest. She pulled away reluctantly, finally letting go of the tray and stepping back. Maui blinked and stepped back also, laying the tray on the counter behind him.

“I, um, better get back to Nani, she’s waiting to catch up to David...but, ah, here,” She clumsily thrust a crumpled napkin into his palm, turning on her heel and pushing through the doorway. She caught one last glance at him through the glass window.

Maui stood frozen, dumbfounded. He looked down at the balled up napkin in his hand and, with a crushing realisation, saw that it was the one he gave her with her drink. Gods, how _stupid_ could he be to think she’d keep all of his _stupid_ little notes?

Clenching his fist, Maui strode towards the bin to throw the napkin away when long, thin pale fingers wrapped around his wrist. Kate stared at him with wide amber eyes.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Ka- wait, what?”

“ _What_ the _fuck_ are you _doing?!_ You spend all of this fucking time _pining_ after this girl and the first chance you get of actually getting _anywhere_ with her you try to LITERALLY throw it away?” Her sharp face softened slightly, an unusual occurrence, and she loosened her tight grip on his arm, “I think the chick likes you, Maui. Seriously, you know I wouldn’t say anything if I didn’t think you had a chance,”

Maui stared at her, gobsmacked, “I- Kate... _what_?”

She rolled her eyes, snatching the napkin from his hand, “Oh my _GOD_ you didn’t even realise,”. She unfurled it and revealed another person’s handwriting. It was smaller than his, and neater, the letters long and swirling, like open water. First was a mishmash of numbers, which he then realised was a phone number. Next to that was a note.

_Call me? -Curly x_

**Author's Note:**

> So this silly little fic is the product of the writer's block I've been having on my bigger Moana fic which I hope to be posting soon. I'd like to continue this fic if I get enough positive reactions and reviews, though, since it was fun to write and so far I haven't come across any Modern Moaui fics!! Please leave comments and kudos and thanks for reading!!


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